In 1944, the first annual national meeting of the Children’s Theatre Conference was organized with the objectives of promoting the establishment of children’s theatre activities in all communities by educational, community, and private groups, and to provide a meeting ground for children’s theatre workers and educators from all levels. Over the next decades the group grew to include operations in 16 regions throughout the U. S. and Canada, has merged with other advocacy groups, and since 1987 has been known as the American Alliance for Theatre and Education (AATE).
In 1958 the University of Washington in Seattle hosted the Children's International Play Fair as part of the annual Children's Theater Conference (CTC). During the fair, over 400 children, ranging in age from 5-18, presented their own plays, musical programs, and art demonstrations on 11 stages scattered around the Seward Park amphitheater. In this image ten young members of the Seattle Buddhist Church wear kimonos as they perform a traditional Japanese Bon Odori dance. The girls are identified from left as, Wanda Nakatani, 12; Joyce Kihara, 13; Sharon Hagimori, 14; Cheryl Taniguchi, 14; Linda Harada, 14; Joyce Shimamoto, 13; Sandra Kihara, 13; Carolee Iwami, 14; Janet Mizuki, 14, and Susan Kihara, 12.
Caption information source: "Rain Fails To Interfere With Plans," August 28, 1958, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, page 7. Caption information source: https://www.aate.com/history Caption information also derived from captions written by Post-Intelligencer staff and attached to the back of the photograph.
